The invention relates to an electric machine, preferably a three-phase generator for vehicles.
An electric machine for vehicles is known having a plurality of connection terminals; a liquid-cooled, pot-shaped metal housing; a bearing cover closing the pot-shaped housing on the drive side; a drive shaft supported at one end thereof in the base of the pot-shaped housing and on another end in the bearing cover; two stator plate stacks spaced from each other axially in the pot-shaped metal housing; two three-phase windings, each of the three-phase windings having an exciter winding, the three-phase windings being inserted in slots of the stator plate stacks; two circumferentially extending claw pole rotors fastened to the drive shaft; rectifier units comprising negative and positive diodes; and regulator means.
A three-phase generator for motor vehicles having a double-generator system in a closed, liquid-cooled housing is already known from DE-OS 31 28 081 (FIG. 5), in which the drive shaft is mounted at each end in an end cover. It is further known from DE-OS 31 28 081 to locate the rectifier with the regulator means and connection terminals at the rear end cover, on the so-called B-side of the generator, and the V-belt pulley at the front end of the drive shaft on the so-called A-side.
This type of structure is not possible in electric machines which are inserted directly into a pot-shaped recess of the drive unit of a motor vehicle for cooling. The B-side of the three-phase generator is no longer accessible from the outside so that terminals can no longer be made there.
In this latter case a pot-shaped metal housing is used for the three-phase generator and the terminals or electrical connections are located at the bearing cover on the A-side of the generator. However, it is then very costly to attach and connect the rectifier units and regulator switches for the three-phase generator separately.